Not a Monster Inside
by EpicFroggy
Summary: Mallory lives a happy life until Carlisle changes her. Will she ever be able to come to terms with who she is now? WAY AU.
1. Chapter 1

_Not a Monster Inside_

An EpicFroggy Creation

Disclaimer - I don't own any of this, Stephenie Meyer does. Well, except for Mallory and her family, but it's mostly SMeyer's.

**A/N - One of my least favorite parts of Twilight is how Bella throws away her life to be a vampire, so I wrote this fic. Hope you enjoy. (= Oh, and in the story Bella's a vampire, but she's still in school, and there's no Renesmee. I've tweaked ages and small things like that to fit the story. Oh, and I trashed imprinting. It's creepy and wrong.**

Chapter 1

"Mom, where'd you put the paint brushes?" Mallory Beck wiped her brow, only succeeding in making herself messier. She was covered in paint.

"They're in the garage, by those old chairs your father picked up at the antique convention." Linda Beck called from her spot on the ladder. Her parents had finally decided to stop dragging their feet about painting the front porch of the family's small, ranch-style house.

"'K, thanks, Mom." Mallory answered back. She checked her watch. _2:30, I've gotta go,_ she thought. She walked over to where her mom was perched on the ladder. "Mom, it's 2:30. I need to leave at 3. Can I go inside now?"

"Well, we still have to --"

"Mom!"

"Alright, go ahead." Linda finally relented.

"Thanks, Mom. Love you!" Mallory raced upstairs to her bedroom to jump in the shower, trying to work the paint out of her hair. She laughed. When she had dryed her hair and gotten dressed, all in record time, she sent her best friend Seth a text message, saying that she was leaving. Seth had told her to meet him at La Push Beach early, but she didn't know why. A group of her friends at school were all going, and Mallory did _not_ want to miss out. She loved the beach, especially at sunset, and it had been sunny today, for once.

Mallory lived in Forks, Washington, and it rained there all the time. Forks was a far cry from Kentucky, where she was from. Her parents had decided they wanted to move to Forks when she was in eighth grade, and they had stayed there ever since. She didn't really mind it, though. Small towns didn't bother Mallory; she enjoyed the peaceful life, and Port Angeles was close enough to visit on a regular basis.

She grabbed her shoulder bag, made sure she had her keys and cell phone, and headed to the garage. Mallory jumped into her dad's SUV, put the key into the admission, and started the car. Pulling out of the driveway, she rolled down her window and waved goodbye to her mom. Mallory cruised through town with her windows down, enjoying the sunshine. _I love this weather! _she thought. She grimaced as she noticed a shiny, silver Volvo in her rearview mirror.

_Cullen._ she thought. There was something so -- off about them. Not to mention they all seemed so high-and-mighty. Like they were the coolest things since sliced bread. Mallory hated the Cullens; especially the brunette one, Bella, who was a whiny bitch. The one with crazy reddish hair, Edward, was way creepy. She thought he looked like a stalker. The small black-haired one, Alice, had a freakishly high-pitched voice, and she was mean. Her boyfriend, Jasper, was quiet. Mallory didn't know much about him. Emmett, the great big one, was a typical football-type. Rosalie, the last one, was blond and gorgeous, and she knew it. The Cullens scoffed at anyone who tried to get near them, and Mallory hated their attitude. Not to mention Seth hated them, too.

Seth. He had been her best friend ever since she had came to Forks, even though Mallory didn't go to the same school as him. They told each other everything. But lately, Seth had been distant. She didn't think she had talked to him in a week before he asked her to meet him. Mallory knew something was wrong, but she was waiting for Seth to tell her. They were both 16, and they both loved cars and the beach, and animals. Seth meant a lot to Mallory, but she was giving him space. Hopefully, he would finally tell her what was wrong. She didn't know why he was shutting her out.

Mallory crossed the border between Forks and La Push. La Push was the Indian reservation that housed the Quileute tribe. The scenery didn't change, although the buildings disappeared. The beach was about ten minutes away from the border, but she made it in five. Mallory did _not _like to drive slow, especially not when she was anxious about something. She pulled in to the parking lot and shut the car off. Seth was casually leaned up against his Camaro, obviously waiting for her. She smiled, taking a deep breath. She opened her car door.

"I thought you wouldn't come." Seth's voice was lower, older sounding.

"I shouldn't have. Seth, what were you thinking? You didn't call, you didn't text. I was so worried!" Mallory slapped him on the arm. Not that it hurt him. He held out his great big arms, and she reluctantly stepped in. "I missed you, Seth." she said. "Wow, you're burning up! Are you alright?" His skin was feverishly hot, and he was wearing short sleeves. Even she had to at least wear a sweatshirt, sun or no sun. He chuckled.

"I missed you too. I'm fine. I'm so sorry, Mal, I can explain." Mallory slapped him again.

"You'd better be able to explain! You've had me worried sick, Seth Clearwater, and Mallory Beck does _not_ worry easily. I don't like to be sick, either!" she said.

"Mallory, something's… happened to me. I can't tell you, but maybe I can _show_ you." Seth looked excited.

"Show me what? Seth, why can't you tell me?" Mallory was so confused.

"Because, I can't, Mal. Just ~ wait here. I'll be right back."

"Seth!"

"Right here." Seth sprinted off into the woods. Mallory shook her head. Sometimes that boy…. But she couldn't really be mad at him. She was just so happy to have him back.

The sound of screeching tires pulled her out of her reverie. Several things happened at once then. She turned her head just as a green pick-up truck careened towards her, showing no signs of stopping she didn't even have time to scream before it hit her, and the last thing Mallory Beck remembered was a horrible pain in her chest, and then everything went black.

* * *

When Mallory regained consciousness again, she was aware of only one thing: pain. Excruciating pain. It started in her neck, and slowly spread through the rest of her body. She wanted to scream, but nothing came out. She arched her back, trying in vain to alleviate at least some of the pain. It wouldn't go away.

* * *

Mallory didn't know how long the pain lasted, she only knew when it stopped. When it stopped, she finally was able to fall asleep. She opened her eyes at last, and immediately had to close them again. The lights that bathed everything she saw were blinding. She sat up, aware that she was laying on a hard, metal table. Mallory started when she saw Carlisle Cullen standing across the room. She instantly rolled off of the table, dropping into a defensive crouch. Carlisle put his hands up in a calming gesture, calling, "Jasper, we could use your talents up here." The mysterious blond Cullen appeared at Carlisle's side. Instantly, Mallory started feeling more calm. She tried to resist, but couldn't.

"It's alright, Mallory. We won't hurt you. I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen, and this is my son, Jasper Hale. We have a few things to explain to you, but first things first. How are you feeling?" Dr. Cullen. Somehow, he looked more like a model than a doctor. It was eery.

Mallory straightened wearily, not taking her eyes off of them. "I'm fine. Where am I, and why am I here? And why did I --" Carlisle cut her off.

"I'll explain everything. Mallory, you may very well have noticed that we are not normal people. That is because we are not. Me and my family -- Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Edward, and Bella -- are vampires." He paused to let that sink in. Mallory froze, than relaxed. "Ha-ha, very funny. You think I believe you?" A vampire? How stupid did they think she was?

"No, Mallory, this is not a joke. We are genuine vampires. Blood-drinkers. Pretty Night Things that Bite. Whatever you please to call us, it doesn't change what we are. Now, as you have probably guessed, the only way we can reproduce is by biting regular humans. That is how all of the rest of my family came to be. I saved all of them from certain death by changing them, as I --"

"Prove it." Mallory was definitely not going to trust this guy just because he said so.

"Prove what?" Carlisle looked confused.

"Prove that you're vampires! You should be able to do cool stuff, or melt in the sunlight, or something! So prove to me that you are what you say you are." she said. Jasper smiled.

"Come downstairs with us." he said. She followed them into a big room on the ground floor of the house. She hadn't really noticed what the place looked like; she had been to busy listening to Carlisle and trying to figure out what was happening. Now she looked around her. The house was big and airy, with lots of windows. Not at all what she would've expected of a vampire. Of course, they probably weren't even vampires, so she had nothing to worry about. Mallory was too caught up with trying to figure things out to notice the clarity of her vision, or the gracefulness of her own steps.

The great-room of the house was decorated very modernly; everything from the abstract chandelier to the white ceramic flower vases showed that. There were two long white leather couches that spanned the room with a coffee table in the middle. Perched on the couches were the rest of the Cullen family, who were even more beautiful up close. Jasper abruptly stopped in front of her and she almost bumped in to him, but something kept her from it. It was like her own feet automatically decided to stop before the collision. _Weird,_ she thought. "Everyone, this is Mallory. I just told her we were vampires, and she wanted us to prove it. Shall we?" Carlisle gestured for us to go outside.

Emmett smashed a huge boulder with one swipe of his hand, and Alice climbed a tree in a half of a second. Rosalie ran all the way to the trees at the end of the clearing the house was in and back before Mallory knew she was gone. Bella and Esme dueled, both showing amazing fighting skills. Jasper showed her his power of controlling emotions, and Edward read her mind a few times. That really freaked her out. Finally, Carlisle asked, "Are you satisfied that we are vampires?" Mallory sighed; she hated admitting defeat, but she couldn't see any other way.

"Just one question. Why don't you burn up in the sun?" she asked; the question had been plaguing her mind for the last hour. They all laughed. "That's just an old myth; it's not actually true." Emmett said. "We don't burn in the sunlight, we _sparkle_." That one really threw her for a loop.

"You _sparkle_?" she asked incredulously.

"Yep!" Bella said proudly. "Isn't it beautiful?" she gushed.

"No, it's not. It's gay. Wow, I can't believe you guys actually --" Mallory was cut off by obnoxious Bella.

"Well, you do too!" Mallory froze again.

"_What?"_ she hissed.

"Oops…." Bella said, looking chagrinned. All of the Cullens turned to glare at her.

"Mallory, we're not the only ones who are vampires. You are, too."

**A/N - Well, there's the first chapter. I'm trying to make them good and long. Hope you like, review if you do, if you don't still review.** **XD**


	2. Chapter 2

_Not a Monster Inside_

Chapter 2

**A/N - This one is a bit shorter, but still pretty long by standards.**

"I'm a _what?"_ Mallory's breath caught in her throat. _A vampire? _It couldn't be true; she refused to believe it was true. "You're lying. I'm not a vampire -- I don't want to be -- I can't believe --" If she had been able to cry, she would have. "No, it's not true, it can't be true --" Her thoughts were disjointed; she couldn't talk properly. Then the realization hit. "You. You bit me; you turned me -- it was you -- why did you change me? What did I ever do to you?" Mallory spat furiously.

"Mallory, I saved your life! If it wasn't for me, you would be dead right now." Carlisle said, expecting her to be grateful, no doubt.

"I'd rather be dead than -- than a -- than a monster!" She was shouting now. "You did this to me! I can't believe you did this to me!" She could feel the rage bubbling up in her.

"Mallory, it was the only way."

"No, it wasn't. You could've let me die; you could've took me to the emergency room. You could've tried to keep me living, not made me one of the dead! I don't want this!"

"Mallory --"

"No. I can't change what I am, I can't undo this." Mallory took off running in the direction of the woods, not stopping to notice which. She couldn't believe it; no, she didn't _want_ to believe it.

Sniffing the air, she noticed a delicious scent on the breeze. She didn't know what it was, but her instincts told her to follow it. Seemingly of their own accord, her feet took her in the direction of the smell. It became overwhelmingly strong near a break in the trees, and she crept stealthily up to it. She was suddenly aware of an intense burning, thirst in her throat. Inside was a large green tent, a small fire, and other camping paraphernalia. A short woman with bright red hair trundled into the clearing, carrying a bundle of sticks. A dark-haired man, presumably her husband, followed, carrying more sticks.

Mallory didn't know what came over her, but, before she knew it, she had climbed the nearest tree and launched herself at the plump woman. The burning intensified. The man jumped on her, trying to distract her from his wife, but Mallory hurled him against a tree. She turned back to the woman, sinking her teeth into the soft flesh of her neck. The relief was instant. She drank until the woman's skin was gray.. Mallory grabbed the man, draining him of blood. When she finished, and the burning was quenched, she stood. The realization of what she had done hit her like a ton of bricks. _I just killed those innocent people _she thought, horrified. _What have I done?_

Mallory ran as fast as she could back to the Cullen's house. She burst through the door and into the great room, where only Carlisle remained. "I -- I just -- I killed. Two innocent people; this is what you turned me in to! I just murdered _two_ people!" She started sobbing, but no tears came out.

"Mallory -- It's alright, everyone slips up at least once." Carlisle tried in vain to comfort her.

"This _slip up_ cost two innocent people their lives! I can't live like this, Carlisle!" Mallory practically screamed.

"There is another way. Our family has learned to live only on the blood of animals; we can teach you this. My family can keep you from killing any more humans, but only if you stay with us. You can't do it by yourself." Carlisle offered.

"Y-you can do that?" she said, unsure. She had never heard of vampires that drank animal blood, but, then again, she hadn't even believed vampire were _real_ until an hour ago. "You can keep me from killing anyone else?"

"Of course. We'll keep a close watch on you when you're hunting, and everything will be fine. Now, you'll have to live with us. And you can't see your family for at least another year, if not more." Carlisle said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"What do you mean, I can't see my family?" Mallory said.

"Well, you might… slip again, and you don't want that to happen, do you? And your eyes… they would give you right away. No, it'd be best for you to _never_ see your family again." The full force of what had happened to Mallory struck her. _I'm not even human anymore, _she thought. She had lost so much when Carlisle changed her….. Her whole life was gone. Now, she was a vampire, and Mallory was going to have to get used to it.

"That's the only way, then. Okay, I'll stay." Not that she had a choice. "On one condition -- I get to tell my parents. Not 'till I'm used to not hunting humans, but I want them to know eventually. I want to see them again -- before -- before they die." she said, trying to keep her voice steady. Carlisle nodded.

"Okay, then. Now that that's cleared up, let me explain a little about the change. When I bit you, I injected my venom straight into your bloodstream, where it spread to the rest of your body. You remember the burning pain you were in?" She nodded here. "That was the venom. The moment it entered your body, you started to change. Because your body is still full of blood from being a human, you are very strong -- stronger than a normal vampire. You've seen some of the things that we vampire can do -- the running, the climbing, the strength. But some vampire have special, extra gifts. Edward, as you know, can read minds, but that's not normal for a vampire. Jasper's power is controlling emotions. Alice -- Alice is different. She can see the future. Emmett is stronger than most of us. Of course, he's still not as strong as a Newborn." Mallory nodded again, taking it all in. _Special gifts, eh? _she thought.

"You said not all vampires have these gifts?" she asked.

"Actually, most vampires don't. We are very -- unique, if you will." Carlisle answered. "Now, you may also have noticed our pale skin and golden eyes -- these are all affects of the change." Mallory looked at her hands, examining them. They were indeed much paler, and… something else. She squinted at her left hand. The freckle she'd had since her childhood was gone! She turned her right hand over, searching for the scar on her wrist. It, too, had disappeared.

"My scars!" she said.

"Yes, they're all gone, aren't they. Your body is now perfect in every way; you'll find no blemishes. The change also -- enhances your features."

"You mean it makes me prettier." Mallory said grimly. "You have a mirror?" she asked.

"Yes, right this way." Carlisle led her to a small bathroom on the ground floor. She stepped inside and turned the light on.

At first she thought Carlisle must be playing another trick on her. Surely the face in the mirror couldn't be Mallory! She moved closer the the glass, reaching a hand up to touch her face. The girl in the mirror did the same. Her face was, like her hands, _perfect._ Mallory's always rather crooked nose was now perfectly straight; her creased forehead was smooth. The familiar twin freckles on her cheek were gone, as were the zits that had given her so much trouble last time she'd looked in a mirror. But the most striking thing by far was her eyes. They glowed bright, crimson red.

Mallory quickly turned away; she didn't want to look at them. She slumped against the wall of the bathroom, sinking to the floor, her head in her hands. It wasn't her in the mirror; it was some stranger she had never seen before. She felt like she wasn't even Mallory anymore. She was a vampire now, and there was no changing that. She just had to live what mangled life she had left now. Mallory's now sharply-attuned ears easily caught the sound of the other Cullens; they must've been back. But where had they been?

Mallory stood in one fluid motion, surprised at her own gracefulness. _Huh. Vampire._ She walked back out to the main room, where everyone was standing and talking. "Mallory, welcome to the family!" Esme said, stepping towards her to hug her.

"I may be living with you, but I will _never_ be part of your family." she said, brushing past Esme.

She stalked outside, knowing at least one of them would follow her. She sat on the big rock, next to the little one Emmett had smashed earlier, and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her watched the sun as it sank below the trees. Mallory heard one of the Cullens sit on the rock next to her. "I'm sorry you have to go through this." one of the girls said. Rosalie, was it? "I…. I know how you feel. I would give anything to be human again, to be able to --" she stopped.

"Be able to what?" Mallory asked, turning. Sure enough, Rosalie was sitting next to her. The beautiful blonde girl sighed.

"To have children. That's what I want, more than anything else in the world. And I'll never have it." Rosalie sounded sad. Probably because she was.

"Right. Vampires. Can't reproduce."

"Mm-hmm." Rosalie murmured. A comfortable silence followed, during which neither one felt the need to say anything. "You're not wrong about us."

"What?" Mallory was confused.

"We _are_ monsters. No matter how many times we tell ourselves otherwise, the reality is still there." Rosalie said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"You, at least, understand. The others seem to love it." Rosalie snorted.

"That's because they don't want anything that they can't have as a vampire. They're all living in a fairy-tale land, while I'm the only one with my feet on the ground. The only one who realizes that this isn't a gift, it's a curse. Did you know Bella _asked_ Carlisle to change her? So she could be with Edward?"

"Somehow… that doesn't surprise me. She practically worships him." Mallory said the last part a bit more quietly.

"And the rest of the family went right along with it. Bella threw her whole life away!" Rosalie was getting worked up now. Mallory tried to calm her down by putting her hand on Rosalie's arm.

"I'm…. glad that one of you understands. That might make… accepting what I am easier. And give both of us someone to talk to." Mallory said, standing. Rosalie smiled, following her back to the house.

Esme was waiting by the back door. "Mallory, honey, Rosalie and Emmett have decided that it's time for them to get married and move out."

"Again." Rosalie muttered under her breath, and Mallory had to strangle a giggle.

"So you can have their room, for now." Esme said. She led Mallory up the stairs to the second floor, and into a room at the very end of the hallway. It was decorated very modernly, like the rest of the house, but she noticed that there was no bed.

"Uh, where's the bed?" she asked, trying not to sound like an idiot.

"Oh, didn't Carlisle tell you? We don't sleep." And with that, Esme bustled out of the room.

"We don't sleep, she says. We don't sleep." Mallory muttered under her breath. She looked around her. The wall that faced the outside of the house was covered in window, but the other walls had shelves attached to them. All the shelves were empty. She sat down on a black leather couch that faced the windows, not sure of what they usually did at nighttime.

Dark-haired Alice entered the room and sat down next to her. "Hey, Mallory. So, you don't have any clothes, do you. Well, we can fix that." Mallory looked suspiciously at her.

"You're not going to take me shopping, are you?" Alice sighed.

"Why does everyone ask that?

"There's a rumor flying around at school that you go shopping every day." Mallory said, smirking.

"That's not true! But to answer your question, yes. I am taking you shopping. But I promise I'll only buy necessities." Alice said, grinning. Mallory groaned.

* * *

"Alice, when you said you were taking me shopping, I didn't know you meant now!" Mallory said. Alice had dragged her to the garage, where, after she had finished drooling over the Cullen's cars, Alice had announced that they were leaving right then. "I can't go in there! I'll kill everyone in sight!" Alice frowned.

"I didn't think about that."

"I thought you could see the future. Wouldn't you see me killing someone?" Mallory asked.

"No, I can only see decisions. Until you decided to kill everyone, I wouldn't see it." Alice explained.

"So, in other words, your power is useless in most situations." Mallory said pointedly. Alice sighed, exasperated.

"I'll leave you in the car then! But you need new clothes!"

"If I'm going in, I see no need to go with you." Mallory stalked back into the now empty house. Rosalie and Emmett were out hunting before their fifty-sixth wedding the next day, Carlisle and Esme were in their room, and Jasper was -- frankly, she didn't know what Jasper was doing, but Mallory was pretty sure he wasn't home. She wandered the house, exploring. She decided since she was staying here she might as well familiarize herself with the house. Alice came back at midnight, carrying only two shopping bags. "Well, turns out not many stores are open this late at night. But I did pick up one or two things. Just enough to last until tomorrow, when I can do some real shopping." she said, carrying the bags up to Mallory's new room.

Alice pulled out several tops and three pairs of jeans, showing them to Mallory. "This is 'just enough to last for tomorrow'? Gee, I'd hate to see 'enough for the next two months'." she said. Alice smiled.

"Do you like them?" she asked hopefully. Mallory sighed reluctantly.

"They're really nice. Thanks, Alice." The dark-haired vampire smiled and left. Mallory was struck by how alone she was. Everyone else had someone, and that left her by herself. Not that she wanted a boyfriend, but a true friend to talk to would be nice. Mallory lay down on the couch, staring at the ceiling, trying to understand everything that had happened that day.

**A/N - This chapter was hard to write, but I got through it. Tried to make Mallory feel more, and not act so shallow.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Not a Monster Inside_

By EpicFroggy

Chapter 3 ~ continued.

Chapter Three

**A/n ~ I've been busy lately, could you tell? Anyways, it's four months later now (duh). Enjoy! (=**

Four months. Four months since the day Mallory's life had ended, four months since she had started living with the Cullens. Four months since she'd seen her parents the last time. Since she'd seen her best friend. Mallory hadn't tasted human blood in two. She'd sneaked out while Emmett wasn't looking, and unfortunately a mailman had gotten a bit too close to her. She had learned not to leave the house alone.

While she was doing fine with drinking animal blood, Mallory was no closer to coming to terms with what she was. She hated looking at herself in the mirror; every time she passed one she kept her head down, trying not to catch her own gaze. Her eyes were starting to change colour; they were gradually morphing from the blood-red they had been to the golden colour of the Cullens' irises. Every day was the same, even with the weekly hunting trips they took to different places in the Washington area.

The Cullens were being "nice" to Mallory, if that's what they called it, but she knew it was only because she ran the risk of exposing them if she went on a rampage. The only one Mallory felt any kind of connection to was Rosalie. The tall, blond Cullen shared her outlook. They saw things in similar ways, and Mallory could talk to her. She supposed Emmett was alright too. He was goofy and funny, and he made her feel better on down days. Edward was the opposite of Emmett. He was always depressed, and he never joked around. The only time he smiled was when he looked at Bella. The two were probably suitable for each other, both equally conceited and self-absorbed. Alice was too bubbly and hyper, and Jasper was very quiet, but when Mallory talked to him, she saw something of herself in him. They were both still struggling with staying away from human blood.

While on their hunting trips, the Cullens were teaching Mallory the finer points of hunting, and being a vampire in general. Carlisle told her she was stronger than the rest of them, as a result of her recent change, and she used that fact to her advantage. All of them knew to stay away when she was mad.

Mallory had discovered something else about herself. Whenever she was in the forest, any dead plant she touched would immediately spring back to life again, and she could make new things grow just by talking, or singing. Her new skill delighted her, since Mallory had loved working with plants when she was….. When she was human. Carlisle said that must have had something to do with it.

He thought that whatever vampires were good at when they were turned got carried over and enhanced, much like the physical attributes. He said that Edward had always been good at reading people, and Jasper was empathetic towards other's emotions. Mallory wasn't quite sure what to think about it, but she liked her new power.

She loved to cover different things in the house with vines as a prank, because it made perfect housewife Esme mad. Whenever they went hunting, her ability to bring dead plants to life again annoyed the rest of the Cullens. Mallory kept fresh flowers growing all around the house -- the place never looked better.

During the long, boring hours of the day, when she was stuck at home, Mallory spent her time outside, making things grow and experimenting with her skills. She'd figured out she could make plants do just about anything, including dance. That phenomenon intrigued and delighted her.

Mallory became very close to Rosalie, the two often going on hunting trips together to talk. The bonding came much to their surprise, as neither of them could really relate to the rest of the family, but Mallory came to realize that Rosalie was a much different person than anyone thought. She was compassionate towards Mallory in a way none of the Cullens had ever been.

It was spring now, and all the new life gave Mallory hope. She now spent barely any time inside with the others, and Rosalie had become her constant companion. The aching thirst in Mallory's throat had gotten better, and she didn't need to hunt as much. Her newborn strength was wearing off, too, and the Cullens knew that. They were taking extra care to step on her toes, and Mallory was taking extra care to leave thorn bushes in well-concealed places.

Carlisle had decided it was time for an experiment. They were going to bring Mallory with them into Forks, and see what happened. She would be inside the car, behind closed windows, so she would be pretty safe. Carlisle wanted to see how she would react to being around humans at a distance.

It was a Monday, and Carlisle, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Mallory all hopped into Edward's silver Volvo, and they started off to town. Carlisle was driving, Alice was riding shotgun, and Mallory was squashed in between Rosalie and Emmett. They shut the windows and locked the doors, in case Mallory did anything, and made sure they were ready.

As they drove down the highway towards town, Mallory was feeling extremely nervous. _What if I kill someone? What if I can't control myself? _she thought. "You won't do anything, I've already seen it." Alice piped up from the front seat.

"Liar. You couldn't have seen it, I haven't made the decision yet. Face it, your gift is useless in most situations." Mallory replied. She really hated Alice's gift, it made no sense.

"Well, fine. If you want to believe that." Alice grumbled. Mallory snorted. _Optimist._

Mallory's first glimpse of a human in two months was heart-wrenching. Linda Beck was walking down the sidewalk towards the Thriftway. Mallory gasped, her breath catching in her throat. Not that she needed to breathe, but still. The effect was there. "Mom." she murmured. Oh, how she wanted to break out of the car and run to her mom. But she knew she couldn't. Mallory knew, without a doubt, that if she left that car she would kill her mother. The thirst had no respect for family, for loved ones.

Carlisle looked back at her, gauging her reaction. "How are you feeling? Any sign of the thirst?" he asked.

"N-no, no thirst." Mallory replied quickly. She watched as they drove past her mom, the pain acute.

"Alright, then, let's crack the window a bit. Rosalie, Emmett, be ready." Mallory shook her head.

"No, I --" she didn't want the window open, she wasn't ready. But before she could say anything, the scent of human blood filled her nose. Mallory froze in her seat when she smelled it. The burning in her throat returned, the same it always was. But today, something was different. The need felt more….. manageable. Mallory didn't feel as though she would die if she didn't taste human blood. She exhaled, relieved. "I-I'm alright." she whispered. Carlisle smiled widely.

"Wonderful! You're making progress. Another few months, and you might be as good as Jasper!" he said reassuringly.

"Y-you think so?" Mallory asked tentatively.

"Of course!" Alice sang from the front. Mallory sighed again, amazed at her own progress. Smiling, she turned to Rosalie, who was grinning at her.

"Alright, that's enough for one day." Carlisle announced. Mallory was still smiling when they got home.

As they entered the driveway of the house, it was obvious something was wrong. They all jumped out of the car and rushed into the house. Esme was standing at the garage door, and when Mallory passed Esme grabbed her. "Wait, you can't go in there." she said quickly.

"Why not? Something's wrong, I wanna know what."

"No, I really think you should stay out here." Mallory didn't understand. Why shouldn't she go in?

"Esme!" she said, exasperated.

"No, I can't." _Fine, then. Have it your way,_ she thought. She reached in the direction of a potted plant with her hand, and the small bush began to grow. It crept towards Esme and wrapped around her legs, then her waist, then her arms.

"Sorry, Esme, I have to know what's going on." Mallory apologized. She raced into the house and stopped dead in her tracks. "Seth."


	4. Chapter 4

_Not a Monster Inside_

By EpicFroggy

Chapter 4

**A/n ~ You guys get a twofer -- Two chapters today. XD This one was hard to write, too. The Seth/Mallory bits are a bit awkward, but that's how they're supposed to be, for the most part. Wow, I'm not sticking to canon very much. I'm pretty much re-writing Eclipse as I thought it should've went, but with Mallory's story too. I figured it's about time we got a plot point in here. Hope you like it! Oh, and if it isn't already obvious I'm kind of making fun of Twilight, it will be in this chapter. [/super long author's note]**

"Seth." Mallory was shocked to see her best friend standing in the Cullen's living room, wearing only a pair of cut-off shorts, no less. When the shock wore off, the horror set in. "No, Seth, you can't be here, I might…." She backed away, not breathing, but she realized he wasn't affecting her. In fact, something that smelled rather like wet dog was completely blocking the scent of blood. "Wait, what am I missing? Why are you here, and what on Earth is that smell?"

"Mallory. I told Esme not to be worried about you, but she wouldn't listen. What did you do to her?" Carlisle asked, an amused look on his face.

"Wrapped her up. Why do you think I keep all those potted plants around? But that's not the point. What is he doing -- What are you doing here?" Mallory was distracted for a moment by Esme hopping into the room, still covered in green tendrils.

"Get these things off of me." she snapped.

"Oops, sorry." Mallory said. She released Esme and brought the plant back to its normal size. "Now, will someone answer my question?" The whole time, Seth had been standing there, staring at her. Now he shook his head, and said, "Hey, Mallory."

"_Hey? _I haven't seen you in four months, and all you can say is _hey?_"

"I'm sorry, Mal. I'm here to tell you that we've spotted that red-headed bloodsu-vampire on our territory again, and she's got some friends. A couple of dark-haired ones that look dangerous. Sam thought you should know." he said, correcting himself before he used the derogatory name for vampires.

"Wait, you _know?_" Mallory said, surprised.

"Yeah, that's what I was trying to tell you when….." He trailed off, not wanting to mention that horrible day. "I'm-I'm not normal, either, Mal. The truth is…. I'm kind of a….."

"What, Seth? Spit it out."

"I'm a…."

"Werewolf. It's not that hard to say, Seth." Bella interjected.

"Yes, thank you, Bella." Seth said, rolling his eyes. Mallory just stood there, in shock.

"A werewolf? No way. What's next, wizards, zombies, and aliens?" She couldn't believe it. What were the odds of _two _different supernatural creatures existing? And living in the same town, no less. "Sam. That's what his gang is, isn't it." She was thinking aloud.

"Yeah, that's it. I couldn't tell you, but I was gonna show you. But…. I never got the chance." Seth said.

"Wait, what's this about a red-headed vampire?" Mallory said, wanting to change the subject. Her questions for Seth could wait for later, right now there were more pressing matters.

"Victoria." Bella snarled. "She wants to kill me because Edward killed her mate."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Since before you joined us. But we haven't seen her in at least six months. I wonder why she's back now?" Carlisle answered.

"_Six months? _There's seven -- now eight -- of you, and one of her, and she's been stalking Bella for _six months?_" Mallory couldn't believe it. These 'vampires' weren't capable of doing anything other than acting like rich snobs who are too good even associate with other normal people.

"Well, she's not a normal vampire. She's, like, super strong, and super fast, and she's vicious!" Bella said, a look of admiration in her eyes.

"And so are you! Edward can read minds, Alice can see the future. Victoria should be no match for all seven -- I mean eight -- of us." Mallory couldn't believe it. "And what about you werewolves? How many of you are there now?" she asked.

"Ten." Seth answered.

"Ten. _Ten_ of you. Why isn't she dead yet?"

"Not my fault. Sam won't let us kill her, we're just supposed to chase her off the borders. It sucks." Seth grumbled. Mallory smiled briefly.

"So, this Victoria is back, is she. Well, then, we need a plan, don't we. Maybe if we…." Bella cut her off.

"No, she's too dangerous! She'll kill us all! And Charlie, but mostly us!" she wailed.

"Oh, shut up." Mallory and Seth both said, at the same time. "I think we ought.." She was cut off again, but this time by Carlisle.

"Mallory, whatever we do, you won't be part of it." He said bluntly. "It's too dangerous. You're still a newborn, and all the fighting and killing could possibly make you go on a rampage."

"Carlisle, I don't think so. Did you see her in town today? And she doesn't seem to be having any issues with Seth being here, either. Plus, she's still stronger than us from being a newborn, and she's got that cool plant thing she can do. I think we should let her fight." Rosalie spoke up. "She's valuable." Mallory smiled at Rosalie and mouthed, "Thank you." The tall blonde nodded.

"She's right. Let her fight." Emmett agreed. Carlisle sighed, resigned.

"Alright, she's in. What was your idea?"

"Well, obviously the eight of us are pretty powerful by ourself, but I think we need to coordinate more with the wolves. Maybe if we work together more, we could catch her. Tell us more about those other vamps you saw, Seth." Mallory was excited. Finally, something she could do that would help someone! No doubt those vampires weren't animal-eating, like the Cullens. They were probably out there now, killing innocent hikers.

"Four more, aside from Victoria. Two females and two males. They're all dark-haired and skinned, and all very athletic looking." Bella scoffed.

"We all are."

"They look and sound like they're African, or South American maybe. All red-eyed, and dangerous. One of the females gave Leah a nice-sized gash in her side, and Jared ripped one of his claws out. But that's just because it was the three of us on patrol. Next time there'll be more, and we'll be ready." Seth said darkly, a fierce look in his eyes.

"Leah? She's a wolf too?" Mallory asked, surprised once again.

"Yeah, the only girl too. She's… not doing great with it. The others are all jerks to her." Leah was Seth's older sister, and the two were quite close.

"Oh… well, tell her I wanna talk to her. Maybe next time Sam can send the both of you for an update." Mallory said hopefully.

"Actually, I was thinking. If we're gonna be working together, it's only fair that we all meet somewhere, at least once. Well, that some of us meet together. Like, Sam and Jared and Jacob, and me and Leah."

"That would be a good idea." Carlisle butted in. "I want to talk to Sam before we do this. Can you try to find out more about these new vampires?"

"Sure, Sam'll send out a patrol to follow them around quietly for a bit." Seth answered.

"Well, I look forward to our meeting. Talk to your leader, and we'll set something up." Carlisle said, effectively ending the conversation.

"Wait, I want to talk to Seth for a minute. Alone." Mallory said quickly.

He followed her outside and to the edge of the forest, where an awkward silence followed. Mallory sat down on the ground, a ring of purple flowers immediately springing up in a perfect circle around her. She patted the spot next to her, inviting Seth to sit down. He shook his head. "No way, you stink!" he said, a mischievous look in his eyes. Mallory smiled.

"Touche." She said. More awkward silence. "Seth, I- It's so good to see you again."

"You too. I just can't believe I -- I should've been there. I didn't get back in time to save you. I didn't want this. But when I got back, he had already bitten you. There was nothing I could do. Vampire venom is lethal to us -- it kills us."

"Seth, no. I don't want you to think like that. This is not your fault. Carlisle did this, he made the decision. I could've lived if he had brought me to the emergency room, instead of deciding I was worth changing. And I wouldn't have had you die on my account. No, it was better that you weren't there when it happened, you might've ended up bitten, and dead. And then both of us would be doomed. Now at least you still get to live, to have a life. To see your family. To be there for Leah."

"To be here for you. Now that I know you won't kill me on sight, I feel better about coming here. And the Cullens love me, for some reason."

"Maybe it's because you're pretty." Mallory joked.

"Ha-ha. Is it so hard to believe that someone might actually like me because of my personality?" Mallory laughed. It felt good to talk and laugh with someone, as if she were actually normal again. "You….. you look different, Mal." Seth said, almost shyly.

"Ugh, don't remind me. I'm missing that scar on my wrist you gave me back in the ninth grade. It's too weird." she said, wrinkling her nose.

"You're so weird. Most girls would be glad to get rid of their scars, but not you." he said, grinning. Mallory laughed again.

"This is good, Seth. Talking. Laughing. Acting normal. There's not much of that left in my life. Actually, there's not any of that left right about now."

"I can sympathize. My life's been pretty un-normal too, since I fursploded." Mallory tipped her head to the side.

"Fursploded? What does that mean?" she asked.

"Oh, sorry. That's a little nickname I have for when we phase to wolf-form."

"That's too cute! Fursploded…. I like it!"

Mallory's acute hearing had caught the sound of a wolf howling somewhere off in the distance, and she sighed. "Sounds like you're being paged." she said glumly. Seth sighed.

"Hold on a second, I'll be right back."

"This won't be like last time, will it?"

"Definitely not. I promise I'll be back in time if anything happens." Mallory nodded, and Seth disappeared into the trees. A few minutes later, Seth appeared again. "I gotta go. Mal --" He crushed her in a hug, and for a moment she wondered if she would lose control. But she had nothing to worry about, his dog-smell did its job. "I'll see you later."

"Okay. And Seth -- stay safe. Don't do anything stupid." Seth Clearwater was known for doing stupid things, and she didn't want him getting into trouble because of it.

"If you insist. Goodbye, Mallory."

"Bye, Seth." Mallory watched as her best friend disappeared once again into the forest. She picked up some dirt, and whispered over it. A gorgeous green flower sprouted and opened its petals, and she placed it back into the ground. The flower would stay there forever, and never die. Or, at least she hoped it wouldn't. That was what she was aiming for. She had never tried freezing a flower for more than a few weeks, so Mallory would have to make sure to check back on it regularly.

As she wandered back to the house, Mallory thought about everything that had happened that day. She had found out that she could control her thirst to an extent, and that she missed her mom more than she had originally thought. She had been reunited with her best friend. The fact that Seth was a werewolf still baffled Mallory, but she supposed it was a good thing, since it meant she could spend time with him without wanting to kill him. She smiled to herself. Mallory had a feeling things were about to get a lot more interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

_Not a Monster Inside_

By EpicFroggy

Chapter Five

**A/n ~ I'm just full of ideas today. Or it could just be that I've got a lot of time on my hands, I don't know. Anyways, here's a new chapter. And you should know that this takes place… after New Moon, but like how I think things would've happened if Bella had been turned at the end of New Moon. Just thought I'd clarify. XD Read. Review. Enjoy. XD**

Mallory was practically jumping up and down with excitement. They were going to meet the wolves today, and hopefully make a plan for bringing down Vickie and her dark-skinned cohorts. The meeting would take place in a large clearing in the middle of the forest, where the Cullens apparently played baseball. Seth had ran back and forth from the Cullens' to La Push a few times, and they had finally settled on a time. It was late afternoon, and the sun was setting behind the ever-present clouds. They arrived a few minutes early, and Carlisle had Mallory create a line of bushes and sharp-thorned vines that stretched all the way across the clearing. They weren't taking chances.

Seth had told Mallory that the Quileute werewolves were natural enemies of vampires. In fact, they existed expressly because of vampires. Whenever a new one got too close, some unfortunate Quileute teen fursploded. It was for that reason that there were now twelve wolves in the pack.

It was five o'clock exactly when a large, black wolf emerged from the other edge of the clearing. It was joined by four more huge wolves. They slunk soundlessly towards the line in the grass, and stopped. "Psst! Rosalie!" Mallory hissed.

"What?"

"How are we supposed to talk to them when they're in wolf form?"

"Edward. He'll translate their thoughts. Now shut up and listen!" Mallory did. Edward stepped forward and explained to the wolves how they would be communicating. "Why don't they just change back to human form?" Mallory asked Rosalie.

"Because, they don't want to take chances. They want to be prepared in case we betray them. It's smart, really. They know not to trust a vampire." the blonde replied.

"Oh, that makes sense." Edward turned to the rest of them.

"Sam brings his greetings, and apologizes for the inconvenience. He doesn't want to take chances." Rosalie looked smugly at Mallory, who smiled back at her.

"I understand. It's no problem, that's why we have Edward here." Carlisle said, stepping forward and smiling cordially. The same smile he gave Mallory when she was first turned. She shook the thought from her mind. Tonight there were other things to think about.

"We need to know everything you do about these vampires. Four of them, you said?" Carlisle asked the black wolf, Sam. Edward listened for a moment, then turned back to the family.

"Four, two females and two males, not including Victoria. All dark-skinned, probably from South America, and vicious. Very wild and unpredictable. They're doing the same thing Victoria was. Trying to break through the wolves' defenses. And it's working, five more people killed this past week in La Push." Edward said quickly, trying to keep up with the Sam's thoughts. "The females are hot." he said, a small smile playing at his lips. Jasper grinned next to Alice, and Emmett wolf-whistled.

"Those your words, or the dogs', Eddie?" he hooted. Rosalie slapped him.

"Shut up, Emmett." Rosalie berated. Mallory chuckled quietly. It was so hard to act serious around Emmett.

"The wolves, it was definitely the wolves." Bella said, looking pointedly at Edward, who was obviously embarrassed.

"O-of course, it was the w-wolves." he replied. Sam howled loudly, and it almost sounded like laughing. All of a sudden, Mallory burst out laughing too. She just couldn't help herself, the whole situation was so comical. Here they were, two natural enemies, meeting together, and they were all laughing their butts off. Everyone stared at her for a few moments, and then Rosalie starting laughing. Alice giggled, Emmett chuckled, and Bella and Edward stared indignantly at them.

"We're not laughing at you, dummies!" Mallory choked out, when she could get a breath. A solitary bark silenced all of them.

Mallory looked up, and saw a reddish-brown wolf pushing its way through the rest, straight towards them. It jumped clear over Mallory's hedge, and walked up to Bella. "Jacob!" she squealed. "You're here! I didn't think you would come!" Bella wrapped her arms around the wolf's neck, while Edward stood there with a murderous look on his face. Mallory sighed.

"Guys! Guys!" she yelled. "Socializing can come later, can we get to business? These vampires are killing innocent people, and it's our job to stop them. So let's go!" Everyone else quieted, and Sam and Edward stepped forward again. "Now, how exactly are they trying to break your defenses?" Mallory directed her question to Sam, who nodded his head at her.

"Every time she gets close enough for us to catch her, she runs off again off of our borders." Edward translated. "And with five of them now, it's getting harder to keep them from killing people."

"Where are the deaths concentrated?"

"Nowhere. They're spread out all over the Res. None in Forks yet, but I think that's because we annoy them, and they want to get back at us."

"So… maybe _we_ need to make them mad at _us._ If we can get the blunt force of their attacks focused off of you, you'll have a chance to regroup. Then, when we're both at full strength, we can -- wait! I just got an idea!" Mallory's head was buzzing with them, but this one seemed the best. Carlisle nodded.

"Go on."

"You guys haven't tried contacting them at all in any way, have you?" Sam shook his huge head. "So… maybe we can ask them for a meeting. Tell them we'll talk things out. And then……" She left it open-ended, but Emmett finished it for her.

"And then we ambush them. Take them out. Carlisle, Bella, and Edward bring Sam along, and the rest of us wait in the woods. We could meet in this very place. And when they least expect it…" Mallory continued.

"The wolves can set up a perimeter around the clearing, so they can't run off. The eight of us plus Sam should be more than enough to finish them off. Now, we just have to figure out how to get them here." Mallory and Emmett were on a roll.

"We could tell them we're handing Bella over. That if we giver her to them, they have to stop killing people." Jasper interjected.

"No!" Edward and Bella said at the same time. "It's too dangerous!"

"Edward, it'll be twenty against five. We easily outnumber them. Nothing will happen to either of you." Mallory sighed. Those two were so melodramatic.

"She's right. I think that's a great plan. Sam?" Carlisle asked. The wolf dipped his head, and Edward translated again for him.

"He said that sounds like a plan. The wolves will take care of the perimeter, as long as we set up the meeting and get them off of La Push for a few days. They're all worn out."

"Alright, send Seth over and we'll work out a date, then figure out a way to contact them. And someone will have to make the vampires mad, get them out of La Push."

"Ooh, how about me, Rosalie, and Emmett take care of that?" Mallory volunteered.

"Absolutely not. I'm already taking a chance by letting you fight, and distracting them will inevitably mean contact with humans. No, you'll stay home. But Rosalie and Emmett are perfect for the job." Carlisle said firmly. Mallory groaned, but nodded.

"Okay. But next time, I get to do the fun part."

"Alright, as long as Seth doesn't mind, we'll use him to transfer information. We'll meet once more before we fight, to smooth out the details, but other than that, Seth should be sufficient. Thank you for coming tonight, Sam, and we appreciate your help with this."

"Seth doesn't mind." Edward said, smiling.

"Is he here?" Mallory asked. Edward nodded, and pointed to a gray wolf behind Sam. Mallory walked up to the barrier and waved her hand over it, dispelling a few thorny branches. She stepped through, and the wolves shied away. "It's alright, I don't bite." Mallory said, chuckling at her joke. A few of them groaned. "I know, I know, cheesy. But corny jokes are half the fun." She hesitantly stepped towards the gray wolf. "S-Seth?" Mallory said timidly. The wolf nodded. "Hey. You stink worse when you're a wolf." she said, and Seth barked indignantly. "Seth, I can't talk to you when you're like this. Go change." Mallory wrinkled her nose. "And put on some deodorant." The wolf snorted and trotted off into the woods, coming back wearing his usual cut-off shorts. "Thanks." Mallory said dryly.

"Welcome. Your plan is good, where'd you come up with it?" he asked, smiling.

"My head. I don't know, I'm always full of ideas. Not all _good_ ideas, but still ideas. I wish I could help Emmett and Rosalie, but Carlisle's got me on a short leash."

"It does kind of make sense, though. You _are_ still a newborn vampire." Mallory slapped him.

"You're supposed to be on my side." she chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Seth?"

"Yeah?"

"How can you talk so casually about… about what I am? Even Carlisle doesn't like to say it when I'm around, how can you?"

"Oh, Mal, I'm sorry, I didn't --"

"No, I don't mind. I want to know how you do it because I want to be able to say it myself."

"I don't know, it just doesn't seem that hard to me. I guess it's because, no matter what you do, you're still Mallory. And that's all that matters to me." Seth smiled reassuringly at her.

"Thanks, Seth. It's good to know you don't care if I smell like crap." Mallory said, grinning devilishly. Seth grinned back at her.


	6. Chapter 6

_Not a Monster Inside_

By EpicFroggy

Chapter 6

**A/n ~ I've got slight writer's block right now, so this chapter is filler, and rather short. But be prepared, Leah Clearwater is about to enter the scene! XD**

"When will Leah be here?" Mallory asked, for the twelfth time in the past hour. All the other Cullens were out taking care of battle stuff, so Seth, his big sister Leah and she would have the place to themselves. Seth groaned, exasperated.

"Will you shut up? She'll get here when she gets here, be patient. She's hormonal and menopausal, give her a break."

"Menopausal?" Mallory was puzzled. Leah was only five years older than her and Seth. How was that possible?

"Yeah. Apparently it's a side effect of fursploding. I don't understand why, but I do know it's really hard for her. She needs the both of us right now, and Sam isn't helping things.

"Why? I thought they were engaged? Is he not taking it well?" Sam and Leah had been dating for a few years, and last Mallory had heard, they were getting engaged. Seth was quiet, and when Mallory looked at him, he seemed uncomfortable.

"Maybe I should let her tell you this." he said. "Look, Leah's here! Hey, Sis!" Mallory snapped her head up, and jumped to her feet.

"Leah!" she yelled, crushing the pretty girl in a hug. Leah chuckled, trying to untangle herself from Mallory.

"Hey, Mal." Mallory stepped back and looked Leah over. The girl looked….. exhausted, in a word. She had dark circles under her eyes, which were dull and tired looking. Leah's whole body seemed to droop. Her once-gorgeous dark brown hair was chopped short, and she was wearing a tattered t-shirt and shorts.

"Wow, Leah, you look…. terrible."

"Thanks." Leah said wryly. "And you smell terrible." Mallory laughed.

"Touche."

"But you look great, I must say. The eyes are a bit… unsettling, but I'll get used to them."

"Thanks. It's so good to see you, Leah. How've you been?" Mallory asked, sitting down on the couch with Leah.

"I've been better. Honestly, Mallory? I'm miserable. And everyone thinks I'm the bad guy, when I didn't do anything but love him." Mallory could sense the bitterness in Leah's voice.

"Sam?" Leah nodded. "What happened? Seth wouldn't tell me."

"I-I don't know if I want to talk about it, Mal."

"That's okay, Leah. Take your time. Tell me about something else. How are your parents?"

"You didn't hear? My father had a heart attack a few months ago. Mom isn't taking it well, but I think Jacob Black's dad Billy is helping. And she has Seth." Leah said, smiling at the last part. But she couldn't hide the tears that fell with the mention of her deceased father. Mallory's face fell, and she had to struggle to not cry, until she remembered she couldn't.

"Oh, Leah…. I'm so sorry. Seth, why didn't you tell me?" she said, slapping Seth again.

"Ow, would you stop doing that? I didn't think you needed anything else to be sad about." he responded. "You already had enough on your plate."

"Okay, okay, you're forgiven. Is there anything your mom needs? 'Cause I can talk to Carlisle."

"No, that' alright. Billy is taking good care of her. But thanks for the offer. But enough about me, what about you?" Leah wanted to know.

"I've…. been better." Mallory said, grinning. "Really, I have. Being a…. a vampire isn't easy, and neither is dealing with the fact that I'll never see my family again. But that all seems trivial compared to losing your dad. At least I know mine are safe, even if I can't talk to them. I can make sure they're always well off."

"Don't start with that. Let's just agree right now that both of us have it hard. That way we're spared the pending argument about who's life sucks more." Leah declared. Mallory laughed.

"Alright, agreed. You ready to talk about Sam yet?"

"No."

"Okay. Hey, you guys want something to eat? Esme keeps the fridge stocked. I think it's because she wants me to feel more at home, but it's just another reminder… never mind. I can make eggs, or pancakes, or even chicken, if you want." Mallory remarked, getting up from her seat. Seth grinned.

"Oh no, Mal's cooking. Should we be scared?"

"Oh, shut up. I'm a good cook. I think…" The brother and sister made their way into the kitchen and plopped down at the table.

"Waitress, can we have some menus?" Seth snickered. Mallory slammed two plates down on the table.

"Here. Can I take your order?"

"Yes, I'll have the parmesan chicken with a side of diced potatoes sauteed in onions. And a cherry Coke." This time Leah punched him on the shoulder.

"If you don't shut up…" she growled menacingly.

"Now, now, children, no fighting." Mallory giggled. "Seriously, though. What do you want? You know what, it don't even matter. I'm just gonna make ya'll a nice, big southern-style omelet with biscuits and gravy. How does that sound?" she said, slipping into her old Southern accent from back home. Mallory had grown up in Kentucky, and her accent hadn't faded quickly. But without reminders from home, she had lost it almost completely.

"Nice accent. Haven't heard that one in a while." Seth commented. Mallory grinned.

"I know, but it feels good. So does cooking. I haven't touched a stove in four months."

"Four months, maybe we shouldn't trust her!" Leah piped up from her spot across the table from Seth.

"Ha-ha. That joke is definitely getting old, guys."

When Leah finally left to go home, all three of them were sore from laughing so much. The visit had been good for Mallory, and Leah too. Mallory had told Leah to go home and sleep. Rosalie and Emmett were having great success with distracting the exotic new vampires, so the wolves were getting a much-needed break. That night Mallory wished she could sleep.


End file.
